Thomas
J “Tom” Ferrick was born on January 6, 1915 in
New York. He was signed by the New York
Giants in 1936 and sent to
Greenwood
of the Cotton States League where he was 13-8 with a 2.17 ERA.

In 1937,
Ferrick was a 20-game winner with Richmond
of the Piedmont League but played just eight games for Jersey City of the International League in
1938 and was released by the Giants at the end of the year. Ferrick
was out of organized baseball the next two years.

Ferrick was
signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as a free agent in 1941 and
made his major league debut on April 19. Appearing in 36 games –
mostly in relief – Ferrick was 8-10 with a 3.77 ERA.

The
Cleveland Indians selected Ferrick off waivers at the end of the
season and he performed the same role in
Cleveland as he had in Philadelphia, making 31
appearances for a 3-2 record and outstanding 1.99 ERA.

Ferrick
entered military service on Christmas Day 1942 and was at Great
Lakes Naval Training Station where he was a Shipfitter, Third-Class
and regularly played baseball. Ferrick was sent to
Hawaii
in 1944 and played ball at Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station as well as
playing in the 1944 Army-Navy Service World Series.

In 1945,
Ferrick, now a Chief Petty Officer, participated in the Navy’s
Western Pacific Tour, playing for the 5th Fleet team.
Following the tour, Ferrick was assigned to the command under
Admiral John H Hoover which was handling ship assignments. Along
with Johnny Riggs, he supervised physical exercise for 440 men
attached to the command. Ferrick later said, "It was an invigorating
experience, and fortunately, we didn't hear any shots fired."

Ferrick was discharged from
service on January 15, 1946 and returned to the Indians. He made
nine relief appearances before being sold to the St Louis Browns in
June. He later played for the Senators and was with the Yankees when
his victory in relief in Game 3 of the 1950 World Series against the
Phillies marked the highlight of his career.

Ferrick pitched in the
majors until 1952 and remained in baseball for many years as a coach
and scout.